You've probably heard it many times that visual content drives engagement (read more traffic and conversion). Just a month after the introduction of Facebook timeline for brands, visual content - photos and videos - saw a 65% increase in engagement. Are you sure your site's images are good enough to drive traffic? It's high time to re-consider image use on most websites, as the standards of what's good and what's not have significantly changed since the 1990s (time when stock image sites started to gain their popularity). Images for the sake of images are not a good practice anymore. Image credits: http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-247210p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-82755p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-160669p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-76219p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-790342p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-764917p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-655432p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-81251p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-460576p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-91282p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-461077p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-458665p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-751597p1.html http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1294p1.html

1. 7 types of stock images you must stop using today
By WebMeUp.Com

2. The Fact
Visual content drives engagement
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3. Increased traffic flow
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4. Increased traffic flow
Better social media exposure
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5. Increased traffic flow
Better social media exposure
Juicy links from popular websites
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6. Increased traffic flow
Better social media exposure
Juicy links from popular websites
Higher conversion rates
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

7. Increased traffic flow
Better social media exposure
Juicy links from popular websites
Higher conversion rates
Outstandingly visualized brand
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

8. Increased traffic flow
Better social media exposure
That is Juicy links from popular websites get
what you can achieve if you
Higher conversion rates
the right images.
Outstandingly visualized brand
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

9. But how can you make your site’s images
better?
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10. Let’s start with
types of images you should avoid!
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11. 1. Freaky and unnatural emotions.
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12. When your customers contact you they
definitely don’t look this way
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13. …or this one.
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14. Normally we don't make such faces, as that
looks completely unnatural.
So why do you think people will be
touched by something that's totally
unnatural and looks funny?
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

15. Alternative:
Contact some of your old-time users and ask
for an interview and a couple of photos.
Even some amateur pictures done in the
natural setting will look much better than the
examples above.
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

16. 2. Happy and organized corporate
people everywhere.
.
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17. Do you really start you working day
the same way?
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18. Also some parts of the bodies of the office
workers next to the switched off devices
seem to be popular.
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19. •
Hmm…something is seriously wrong here!
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20. Alternative
In case you don't want to place the photos
of your real office and real employees,
then focus on something else.
By the way, garage businesses and startups are all trendy these days, so the severe
look of your "headquarters" can be quite
interesting!
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

21. 3. Abstract 3D figures and all other
abstract things
.
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22. Looks 1990’s… and weird.
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23. •
Clouds…
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24. Lamps…
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25. and even a bigger number of lamps…
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26. … don't explain why you are creative,
smart and competitive!
These images are huge space-eaters on
your site's pages – they don't help to
convey the necessary messages and only
distract visitors’ attention.
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

27. 4. People with laptops and tablets
in weird settings
.
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28. Would you really think about work at a sunny
seaside ?
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29. OMG! this guy takes an "extreme" approach to
business.
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30. Welcome the King
of multi-tasking!
This man can work
surfboarding at sea
and without even
looking at his
laptop screen.
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

31. Sitting on the beach with the laptop is not
the sign of success, prosperity and free
way of living and working.
By the way, if you try to work with the
laptop on the beach, you will understand
that it is NOT comfortable and you will get
distracted all the time!
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32. 5. Quick faking of the product in
the stock image.
.
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33. No need to be an
advanced Photoshop
user to understand that
there’s something
terribly wrong with the
picture.
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34. 6. Boards. Whiteboards,
greenboards, glass boards.
.
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35. People truly believe in the power of the
board, but they keep on adding images
with boards everywhere!
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36. Like this one,
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37. …or this.
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38. Sometimes you don't even need a board.
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39. Anyway, these images don’t tell the story.
They don’t tell what you do, how and why
your users need to care.
So, please avoid them!
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

40. 7. Low-resolution images.
.
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41. Whatever the image, please don’t try to
save 50 cent on buying a pic with
ridiculously small resolution.
That’s totally unprofessional and ruins the
impression on any page.
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

42. Meh…
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43. Bottom-line:
Every time before you decide to use stock
images, ask yourself 3 questions:
• Does this image look professional?
• Does it help better understand what I'm
talking about?
• Would the page lose any value if I remove
the image?
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

44. Beware of:
• Pictures that are irrelevant and not
realistic
• Pictures that are meaningless
• Low-quality pics
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-to-avoid.html

45. Choose the right images
and stay cool.

46. Pro tip: kittens ROCK!

47. For more info check
WebMeUp Blog:
http://webmeup.com/blog/stock-images-toavoid.html